Star Wars: Gray Apprentice
by Saphire-Phantom
Summary: Many Sith Apprentices are mereley corrupt by the Dark Side, shrouding their potential... but Safime is different. His master, Serthos Khan, knows this, and has trained the boy since birth. That is untill an Imperial Shuttle Craft lands on their otherwise


_He's one of the most impressive Apprentices I've ever trained…_

Khan mused as he parried the young boy's blow and side stepped to avoid him. The boy was amazingly fast, predicting his master's blows and blocks, keeping an ever vigilant eye on the situation.

"Good Safime, good" he smiled, jumping back to commune with the boy without getting hurt. "Let go of your feelings- use them against your enemy and then you strike. This is the way of the Sith"

Safime screamed as he lunged towards the man, catching him off guard and leaving a large cut down his left shoulder. They both shut off their lightsabers, clipping them to their belts as the older man staggered over the wall and fell down.

"That's… that's enough for today Safime" he closed his eyes and moved his hand over the wound. The laceration began to heal immediately, closing up and forming new skin. "You are getting a lot better at this. Soon you'll be able to use your anger and hate to bring your power to a whole new level.

As his master healed, Safime felt a field of energy flow around him. This was the Force, the living energy that flowed through everything. And he could control it. Smiling, he harnessed its energy to grab some fruit from an otherwise unreachable tree. Of course, there were different factions as people used it differently. There was the Dark Side- the side considered to be "evil", and used by the group known as the Sith. Evil is an opinion, he thought as he bit into the fruit. Then there were the Jedi; supposed keepers of the peace, who had stayed in council for hundreds of years. Then came the Empire. The Galactic Empire was established by two very powerful Sith, Darth Sidious and Darth Vader. Together, they wiped out every Jedi they could find. But there were of course, survivors. Every so often you would hear whispers that they had found another Jedi Knight in a distant corner of the galaxy where no sane man would dare think to look. But of course, Vader was no sane man. They quickly established the Empire, grasping a tight hold onto the galaxy, strangling the inhabitants.

But Safime wanted that to change. He thought… he _knew _he could take on Vader, and win. His Master had warned him not to be too confident, as it would be his downfall. But he was past confidence, past taking cause for concern. There was no cause… none at all. He had no family, and his only friend was Master Khan. But Khan was getting old, and his powers were weakening. He was sad to see it, but everyday Safime watched the closest thing he had to a father die inside a little bit more.

He smiled as the old man stepped towards a hill and watched a small shape ever-growing on the horizon. Safime ran up to Khan.

"Master what…"

Khan raised a hand as a sign of silence.

"It's an Imperial Shuttle Craft…" he whispered, his eyes filled with a kind of terror Safime had never seen in the man before.

"But what… what are they doing on Dagobah? How could they have found us?"

Khan shook his head, anxiously fingering his lightsaber.

"I don't know. Perhaps an accident but…" he frowned "No, too much of a coincidence to be one"

Khan was scared. This couldn't be a coincidence… it all felt too planned. They had lived on this planet because it was erased from the archives years ago, and was too teeming with the force for them to be detected by the Empire.

Master Khan drew his lightsaber, trying not to be detected by the incoming craft.

"Safime, I want you to go back to the hut. In fact, run. And don't look back. Whatever you do, don't look back" he muttered to himself, silently running off towards the craft.

"Master I won't let you do this alone. If you're facing what's ever out there…." He ignited his crimson lightsaber in a similar manner to his master "… I want to come with you. I'm ready… and I'm not afraid"

Khan nodded as he reached for Safime and placed a withered hand on his shoulder.

"You are about to face an enemy stronger than you and I. He will destroy you without breaking a sweat. And then he will destroy me. Are you afraid now?"

Safime looked angrily at the Imperial Shuttle landed smoothly on the marshlands.

"I can take him, whoever he…."

The boy was silenced as an overpowering silhouette stepped from the Shuttle. It filled the area with an overpowering sense of dread. It had a human shape, but he was not altogether human… he was a machine, a tool of the Empire. It's most powerful tool. This was Darth Vader. And he was looking for blood.

He had been seeking the Jedi for ten long years, and he had found nearly all of them. It was like a list that he was slowly working his way through, and now he was almost done. But he had found an "inexistent" planet that had been wiped from the archives. And it was brimming with the force. A perfect hiding place for a rouge Jedi, Vader thought. And he had found it. And whoever the force-user was, he was extremely close. Close enough to….

_Who are you?_

Khan trembled as he heard the angry voice echo around him.

"Master did you hear that?"

Khan had a deeper terror this time. He knew what was about to come.

_I am Serthos Khan_

He waited for a reply

_Show yourself Jedi _

Khan laughed at this out loud while his confused apprentice watched in anticipation.

_I am no Jedi, Vader. I am a Sith- I embrace the Dark Side of the Force, like you_

Vader watched the two figures edging towards him

"And you are not alone. I sense another, stronger one." He shouted aloud, piercing the musky air. Across the marsh, Khan and Safime jumped across to Vader. Vader, in turn, ignited his lightsaber.

"You are both strong with the Force, but you still are weak at heart." Vader laughed, swinging at the apprehensive Safime. The boy blocked Vader's hit and used the force to push Vader back onto the floor. The Sith Lord responded with a push of his own, stronger, and faster than Safime's, sending him flying across the floor into a tree.

"Impressive. Most impressive" he said, using the force to choke an equally aggressive Khan. "But your tricks will not save you. Now- allow me to show you how a true Sith makes the force his tool"

Khan helplessly clawed at his neck as he slowly choked under the influence of Vader. An immobilised Safime struggled to open his eyelids as he watched his beloved master die. Suddenly, he felt a new hatred, a new power. He was going to use it against the enemy. Using all his anger and resolve, he lunged at Vader, his blows stronger, his power unlimited.

"Yes, yes…" Vader laughed, grasping his lightsaber tightly "Now you are embracing the true power of the Dark Side… let it corrupt you boy. Let it flow through you and corrupt you"

Safime ducked as Vader stabbed through the air, leaving a trail of red energy behind him. Safime cut upwards- and hit Vader's hand.

The searing hot blade sliced through the Sith's wrist, severing his hand at the joint and sending it and his lightsaber flying. Safime felt a strong urge to finish Vader off, but the urge to tend to his ailing master was stronger. He ran over to Khan, throwing his lightsaber down and reaching out for his master. He tried to use the Force to heal Master Khan… but his anger was still flowing, not allowing any healing energy through. He stuttered as he sent a pulse of the force through his master, attempting to bring his master to health. It was too late. With his last words, Khan grasped on to Safime, as a tear ran down the boys cheek.

"Safime… learn the ways of the Force… train your own Apprentice..." he gasped as his heart slowed and his blood stopped moving "Carry on the legacy of the Sith…"

"Master…" he whispered, placing a hand on his cheek "I shall avenge you"

Meanwhile, a weakened Vader watched the vulnerable boy standing over the corpse of Serthos Khan. And under all the metal and wires, a sinister face smiled as he breathed through the cyber robotic entity that was his body. Using his remaining hand, he grabbed his lightsaber and slowly stepped towards to mourning man.

"There is no pain worse than this…"

And with that, Lord Vader sent the lightsaber through Safime's chest.

"I beg to differ…."

Lord Vader signalled to the two Stormtroopers coming out of the Shuttle.

"Carry the boy's body into the ship- I have plans for this one"

"Yes Lord Vader" the first Trooper solidly replied, carefully carrying Safime's body into the ship. Vader took a deep measured breath as he looked down at his injured arm and realised he had come along the enigma they were looking for.


End file.
